Politics and preaching priests

I will not go into the question whether the late archbishop Michael Gonzi’s punitive measures of the 1960s were the right ones. 

However, the living memory of the unprecedented disturbances, violence and venom against the Church, epitomising in the sacking of the Curia, vocal interruptions of homilies in church and the campaign not to contribute to the money collection during Mass, just to mention three instances of the systematic anticlerical campaign, because the list is exhaustive, all happened during his episcopate.

The humble and gentle archbisop Joseph Mercieca was not immune to violence. Photo: Photocity

But why was the archbishop singled out when, as a providential pastor, he perceived the entry into Malta of materialism, dishonesty and other decadent values. His successor, Joseph Mercieca, though in less turbulent times, had to cope with the prevalent teaching that forces the consciences of individuals to be formed not according to Christian principles but in compliance with the opinion of certain people and the whims of the moment. This teaching was being conveyed with great energy and insistence and the harm it could cause was indeed great. The humble and gentle archbishop was not immune to violence as he was also personally assaulted in Vittoriosa and Paola.

What about our present times? After the visit of two popes and their recommendations, the salutary sermons of our bishops throughout the year and the Sunday homilies in Mass and numerous other religious activities, the moral and Christian heritage barometer registers a perennial storm.

Of course, the 10 or so laws sanctioned by parliament this last decade were of no help or remedy to get rid of our predicament.

John Azzopardi – Żabbar